Daughter Pursued
by Cellophane Flowers
Summary: Milly Potter, the daughter of Harry and Ginny, is beginning her first year at Hogwarts. Harry worries about her safety from the vengeful Death Eaters that have sworn to kill her. He cannot protect her any longer. Please R&R!
1. The Nameless Child

1"Look at Mommy, sweetheart!" Ginny crooned to the infant in her arms. Harry peered over her shoulder to smile at the baby, his eyes twinkling with love from behind his glasses. The infant stared at her parents with a rather bored expression on her chubby face. Harry stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, grinning stupidly. The baby laughed and smiled, showing her gummy mouth. Ginny smiled.

"That's better! What's so funny, honey? Huh? What's so funny?" Ginny cooed. Then she noticed Harry's head on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and he kissed her quickly on the lips while she was still surprised. She laughed and swatted at his head, but he ducked out of the way, grinning widely as he left the room.

"Oh, it was just Daddy being silly, wasn't it, darling?" she said to the baby, loud enough for Harry to hear from the kitchen where he was bottling some warm milk for the baby. He walked back into the room and offered up the bottle. Ginny set the baby in Harry's arms.

"Here it is!" he said triumphantly. Ginny's heart warmed at the sight of her husband feeding their daughter, cradling her in his muscular arms. She looked so tiny there, in comparison to Harry's tall, strong figure. Ginny sat down beside them on the sofa, leaning against Harry's solid shoulder.

"Harry... you know everyone thinks we're insane," she whispered seriously. Harry looked at her.

"I know, I know. We should have had a name picked out for her long before she was born. But we didn't. I know, it's crazy of us," he replied routinely, stroking his daughter's tiny head affectionately.

"We need to name her. Now," Ginny said firmly. Harry knew she really meant it this time. There was no little chuckle or sheepish grin to soften her words this time. It really was time to name the baby. After all, the baby was a year old (yesterday had been her first birthday). What kind of daft parents waited this long to give their child a name? _Apparently _we_ do_, Harry thought sadly.

"So what shall it be? We had a list somewhere around here, didn't we, Harry?" Ginny was saying. She was searching the room. Harry hadn't felt her get up.

"I-I think it was in the bedroom, dear. On the bedside table, next to the alarm clock," Harry called to her from the couch as she wandered into the bedroom to search. He saw the light go on in that room and he sighed, knowing she would find it there. He read the list every night before he fell asleep.

It was his fault they'd waited this long to name her. Harry knew it was his fault. He'd purposefully put it off for a year. He wanted to procrastinate longer, but he knew that Ginny would never allow it. He was terrified of giving his daughter a name. He feared that is he gave her a name, Voldemort's followers would be able to track her more easily. For even though he had fought and destroyed Voldemort in his seventh year at Hogwarts, there were still Death Eaters out there, seeking revenge on Harry and his family. Ginny and Harry could fight them, he knew it, she knew it, and the Death Eaters knew it too if they were smart enough. But their daughter was only a baby. She could not fight.

They would kill her.

The Death Eaters, though they were hardly human, knew what love was. They knew that to take away the Potters' child would be far worse than killing the Potters themselves. And the baby being named would only make it easier for them to track her down. Harry feared more than anything losing his daughter to the Death Eaters. The thought made him shudder. He pulled the baby to his chest and hugged her tightly.

She blinked and yawned into his chest. Harry could feel her quick, soft heartbeat against his own. His heartbeat gave a leap as he looked into his daughter's mismatched eyes. One as green as his own, the other amber like her mother's. Harry and Ginny had been surprised when she was born to see that when their baby opened her eyes, they were so oddly-hued. They found it beautiful and unique to look at, and though a nurse suggested that a spell might be able to fix it if they performed it soon enough after the birth, Harry and Ginny declined. Now Harry regretted not having the spell performed. Surely that would make her even easier to track. How difficult could it be to find a child with different-colored eyes?

"Found it!" he heard Ginny yell from the bedroom. The light went off and she came into view.

She plopped herself down beside him again and they looked at the list together.

**Baby Names**

Milly

Eva

Harriet

Jennifer

Ella

Remula

Mione-Jane

Viviett

Jamie

Nevilla

Luna

These were the girl names, of course. They knew that if they had a boy, he would automatically and without question be named Sirius. Most of the names had significance, being tweaked versions of the names of people the Potters really cared about.

They narrowed it down eventually... Harriet, Jennifer, Mione-Jane, Viviett, Jamie, Nevilla, and Luna were out of the question, being either too plain or too strange for this first little daughter of theirs. So now they had to choose between Milly, Eva, Ella, or Remula.

They chose Milly Eva Potter.

"My dear little Milly...," Ginny said lovingly, a relieved smile on her face. Harry knew that this was a huge weight off Ginny's shoulders. Unfortunately, the weight only got heavier for Harry.


	2. The Letter

1"Milly! Wake up! You've slept in, dear!" Ginny Potter whispered, gently shaking her daughter's shoulder. The ten-year-old turned over on her stomach, grumbling. Ginny gave an exasperated sigh.

"You really ought to break this habit of waking up at eleven in the morning," she continued, patting the tousled black hair spread across the pillow. Milly didn't stir, as she was still pretending to be asleep. With a wry smile Ginny added, "What are you going to do when you get to Hogwarts?"

Milly sat straight up and spun around to face her mother. The freckles across Milly's nose seemed more prominent in the morning somehow against her unusually pale complexion. She blinked her wide mismatched eyes expectantly.

"Mum... do you mean?" her soft voice trailed off. Ginny nodded and held up a folded letter, sealed with a dark red stain that looked very much like blood. Milly emitted a high squeak and snatched it eagerly, tearing it open with trembling fingers. Ginny watched fondly while her daughter thoroughly read the text on the letter. _Well_, Ginny thought, laughing mentally, _it was more like she was devouring the text._

"Mum! This is fantastic! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Milly shrieked loudly after she had finished with the letter. The piece of parchment floated from Milly's outstretched arms to land silently on the bedspread. She said the words again under her breath, as though reassuring herself that it was true, "I'm going to Hogwarts..."

Ginny flung her arms around Milly's neck and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you, darling."

A small voice was heard from the doorway. "What's goin' on, Mummy? Why's you so 'appy?" Ginny released her daughter and they both turned to face the sound. The twins stood in the doorway, looking very sleepy and ruffled, each holding a stuffed animal by the paw.

"Wemmy and I heard you scweam, didn' we, Wemmy?" Sirius, the boy twin declared in his lisping voice. Remula, the girl twin at his right, nodded, her thumb in her mouth. She was always the quieter one, always taking her brother's lead. Sirius, though he and his sister were only three, gladly assumed the role of ringleader. He could often be heard commanding his twin about like a drill sergeant. But he could also be seen hugging her and comforting her just as often.

"I was wondering the same thing, actually," came another voice, much deeper and more mature than Sirius's. Harry Potter stepped into view and stood behind the twins with a curious smile faint on his lips. "What's going on? What'd I miss?"

"I got my Hogwarts letter, Dad!" Milly piped up excitedly. Harry's expression changed instantly. There was a wide grin on his face now, but Ginny had seen a flicker of remorse right before the grin appeared, though she was sure she'd been the only one to notice it. She'd have to ask him about it later, but for now she didn't want to distract from Milly's happiness.

Harry crossed the room and embraced both Milly and Ginny tightly. "I'm very proud of you, Mils," he murmured. Feeling rather left out, Remula and Sirius raced to be included in the hugging, clasping their tiny arms around Milly's neck.

"Wemmy and I are pwoud too!" little Sirius announced ceremoniously, though neither of the twins understood in the least bit what was going on, and what they were 'pwoud' of.

Ginny, Harry, and Milly laughed at Sirius's pompous airs. When the hugging ended, Ginny scooped Sirius into her arms, while Harry picked up Remmy, her thumb still thoroughly enclosed by her mouth, and went downstairs, to start breakfast, no doubt.

Milly climbed reluctantly out of bed and stumbled over to the floor-length mirror across the room. Her disheveled appearance nearly made Milly laugh. Her hair was in thick, unruly tangles, her complexion chalky, and her nightgown hanging half off her shoulder. She tentatively picked up a comb and began to drag it mercilessly through her hair, wincing as the tangles yielded and fell tame, though still very messy-looking. But that, she knew, could not be helped. She had inherited her perpetually tousled black hair from her father. No amount of magic or gel could fix that. As for her complexion, it was always like this in the mornings. She tugged her nightgown straight, put on her slippers, and made her way downstairs to the inviting smell of bacon and eggs being fried.

Milly had spent the entire day with her mother and the twins in Diagon Alley, shopping for school supplies. Harry had stayed home, claiming he had a headache. But what he really wanted was time to be alone and to think.

He couldn't deny it anymore, Milly's growing up. He had always been the one to spoil her, to give her what she wanted, to treat her like a child. (Because of the immense fortune entitled to the Potters, spoiling the children had never been a problem.) For too long he'd tried to hold her down and make her stay little. Now that the letter had arrived, there was no more pretending, no more falsely hoping she would never get any older. She was going away to Hogwarts, and Harry's worst fears were starting to come true.

At Hogwarts, she would not be without protection, of course. Dumbledore was no longer the Headmaster, but Miss Abbott was a wonderful Headmistress to take his place as he spent his few remaining years in peace and quiet. McGonagall, too, had retired, but Harry knew without doubt that the new Transfigurations teacher would be just as good at it. After all, wasn't Hermione the best witch Hogwarts had seen in a long time? Seeing as they were still friends, and now Hermione was married to Harry's brother-in-law, Ron, Harry believed Milly would very much enjoy that class. (Besides, Milly seemed to have a lot of potential as a Transfigurations student; in fact, the only subject in which she hadn't yet shown much ability or interest was Potions, naturally. Harry didn't know who had replaced Snape, but he had an inkling it would be someone just as foul as he was.)

Yes, Milly would be very protected by the staff of the school. But it was not the staff of Hogwarts that had saved the entire Wizarding world from Voldemort. It was Harry. And Harry could not very well protect Milly while she was away at school.

His mind turned over these things in anguish. What if Milly showed the same disregard for the rules (which really were meant to protect students and not merely annoy them after all) that Harry had shown at Hogwarts? What if the vengeful Death-Eaters found her there? Would Abbott be able to repel them as easily as Dumbledore could? These questions burned at Harry's heart. He loved his daughter so much, and was terrified at the thought of her being alone at Hogwarts, being without her father to protect her, being pursued by those were sought her for revenge, to kill her...

There was a loud pop from the direction of the kitchen. "We're home!" came Milly's voice, echoing in the house, reverberating in Harry's head. _Oh how I wish you could _stay_ home, Milly_, Harry thought sadly as he hoisted a welcoming smile on his face and kissed her on the cheek.


	3. The Station

**Author's Note: Hey you people! I'm back with the third chappie! Actually... it's been written for a while now... but I'm such a slow loser that it took me a week to get around to actually uploading it. Hope you like it, despite the wait.**

**Oh and I still only have two reviewers whom I appreciate very, very much. But I'd like to have many more... -wink wink nudge nudge-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I don't pretend to. So leave me and my monkey alone. Everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey. So there.**

_**Chapter Three: The Station**_

It was a very windy day indeed when the Potters Flooed their way to King's Cross Station. The wind beat hard against the many wizarding folks who were trying to cross the parking lot to get inside. If their parents hadn't been holding them tightly in their arms, Remula and Sirius would have blown away with the wind, Milly noted, amused and slightly frightened at the prospect of her little siblings flying through the air, still clutching their stuffed animals protectively.

When they finally pushed through the doors and got inside, they breathed a sigh of relief. "So, where to now?" Milly asked under her breath, stroking her snowy white owl (one of her father's owl's chicks), Niveous.

"Just follow me and try not to look suspicious," Dad muttered to her, walking briskly. Milly and the others followed quickly, not wanting to lose sight of him in the bustling station. Muggles... they were surrounded by chattering Muggles in this place. Milly had gone to a primary school with Muggles to learn the usual subjects, like Maths, and Spelling, and such. Many of them were friendly, and not too different from the wizard children Milly knew. And she had never exactly been unpopular, being a wealthy girl, but she wasn't exactly popular either. She was always very quiet at school for fear of letting slip that she was a witch. She feared even more than the prospect of getting in trouble with the Ministry of Magic the prospect of being teased for being a self-proclaimed 'witch'. So she kept her mouth shut most of the time, which made her teachers think she was diligent, and make the other students think she was shy, though there some who deemed her quietness 'being snobbish'. Milly had always ignored these accusations, knowing herself that they weren't true.

In the midst of her musing, Milly hadn't realized that she was now standing before a large brick wall between platforms nine and ten. Nine-and-three-quarters. Her parents had prepared her for all of this. They had told her not to be scared, to close her eyes when she pushed through the barrier, to open her eyes immediately upon reaching the other side lest she crash into someone else. But nothing had prepared her for the way her heart sank to her feet and the lump rose in her throat as she waved goodbye. Father had an important meeting to attend to (what for Milly was unsure), and they had to depart right away. They couldn't even come through the barrier with her to help her onto the train. Milly was alone in front of a brick wall that was steadily looking harder and thicker by the second. Milly glanced at her watch. She had to hurry.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pushed her trolley as quickly as she could toward the barrier, toward the brick wall, hoping against hope it would yield and as she neared it her stomach did an unhealthy flip-flop and she knew this was stupid, she shouldn't have done it, she would crash into impervious red brick in two seconds, she nearly screamed---- when the crash didn't come, she opened her left eye, the green one, and looked around. She'd made it through! And without crashing into someone else's trolley! Well that was certainly a success, Milly thought. She gloated mentally and was so absorbed in staring open-mouthed at the enormous red train in front of her that she forgot to pay attention to her trolley and CRASH!

The sound and impact tore Milly violently back to reality. She'd knocked over some bloke's trolley, not heeding his preceding cries of, 'Hey, watch out, you!' Now all his belongings were strewn across the concrete. Milly gasped. Niveous was shrieking and flapping his wings, causing quite a stir.

"I'm so bloody clumsy! S-so sorry!" Milly stuttered apologetically. The boy was hastily gathering his books and dumping them unceremoniously back onto his trolley.

The boy muttered something and Milly quickly knelt down and began to help him get his things together.

"I'm really sorry, I'm just so stupid... I wasn't paying proper attention," she said to him as she hoisted a large pile of thick books onto his trolley. The boy, having returned all his items to the trolley, stood up and looked at her and nearly laughed at the mortified expression on her face.

"Nah, it's alright. Not entirely your fault. I'm just really unlucky. There was no way I could get through today without having my trolley knocked over at least once. Trust me, I'm used to it," the boy informed her. The boy's curly hay-colored hair flopped over his muddy brown eyes in a careless fashion as he motioned emphatically toward his trolley.

"So yeah..." he trailed off, scratching his head.

"Er... well, that's good," Milly replied lamely. She smiled awkwardly and pushed a lock of heavy black hair away from her face. The boy gasped and his eyes grew wide.

"Your eyes... they're... wow," he stammered, open-mouthed. Milly blushed. Of course. She had forgotten about her mismatched eyes.

"Oh, er, yeah," she began nervously, trying to find some way to distract him from it. "It's kind of weird, but—"

"Bloody wicked, that is!" the boy exclaimed. Milly blinked in surprise. That was certainly not the reaction she'd expected.

"Er, I'm glad you think so," she thanked him, smiling. He wasn't half-bad.

"So anyway, my name's Broderick Sloo, but er, most people call me Brody," he introduced himself, extending his hand. Milly gladly shook it. "And never," he added grimly, his eyes serious, "never call me Ricky."

Milly laughed.

"I'm Milly Potter. Nice to meet you!" she said happily. Once again Brody's eyes grew big.

"Potter? As in Harry Potter's your dad?" he asked incredulously. His astounded expression was almost comical.

"Yeah. That's my dad," Milly confirmed, nodding.

"Wow..." he muttered. Then he looked up brightly. "D'you want to sit with me on the train? So we don't have to share compartments with people we haven't met, you know..." His voice trailed off.

Milly's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Sure!" She hoped she didn't sound overly eager, but she'd never had a good friend before, only Muggle aquaintances and a few of her cousins, and Brody sounded just like 'best friend' material so far. "Oh, speaking of which, we'd better hurry!" she added urgently.

"Right," he nodded and they rushed to the train to find a compartment.

**Author's Note: At first I planned on naming the moppy-haired kid Liam Synclair, but the name didn't really seem to fit. 'Synclair' sounds far too snobbish as a last name, and too dramatic and Malfoy-esque, to me at least. It didn't take long for me to find the surname 'Sloo', which is an unusual Welsh name, but I spent nearly two hours deciding on the first name 'Broderick', which is English. For a minute I almost called him 'Leo'... glad I didn't, because that would be just too weird considering the house he'll be in. Oops, I'm rambling... well, please leave me a review! I'll like it very much!**


	4. The Meetings

A / n: Sorry I've been so lazy...

"Come on Milly, hurry upཀ We'll want to find a seat before the train starts moving, unless you're keen on the idea of sitting in the hallway," Brody called to a distressed Milly, who was having more than a little trouble dragging her luggage down the hall. Niveous's feathers were ruffled and his eyes narrowed in discomfort. He didn't like all this being lugged about.

Milly wrapped her hands tightly around the handle of her suitcase and gave a powerful heave. Unfortunately, she heaved right into the door of a compartment, which in turn slid open with a loud bang. Milly and her luggage proved a perfect example of the laws of physics as girl, owl, and suitcase hurtled forcefully into the tiny compartment. Milly landed with a shriek.

"Millyཀ Are you alright?" Brody appeared in the doorway, an anxious look on his face.

Milly gave an inarticulate groan and realized that she had landed on something rather soft. Something covered by black robes. Wincing, she looked up. A familiar girl and a boy smiled down at her.

"Good to see you, cousin dear," the girl greeted warmly, giggling. Milly propped herself up and hugged her cousins.

"Yeah, I'm alright, Brody. Come on in," she laughed, easing herself back into the seat opposite her smiling cousins. Brody reluctantly stepped in, closed the door behind him, and then hastily sat down next to Milly. Their luggage lay scattered at their feet, and Niveous had gotten out of his cage. The rumpled-looking owl had taken Milly's place in the lap of the girl, who was stroking him comfortingly.

"These are my cousins, my Uncle Charlie's kids, Chloe and Jack," Milly said to a nervous-looking Brody. She realized, with a slight lurch of something like annoyance, that her new friend was staring rather stupidly at Chloe. But then, Milly was used to this; Chloe's mother was part veela, and the fifteen-year-old had inherited a lot of the same features from her, save for the amber-brown eyes. Jack, two years the younger, was quite the opposite. He was relatively good-looking, with Charlie's sturdy features, the only exception being the pale blue of his eyes.

"N-nice to meet you," Brody murmured, blushing.

Chloe gave a small smile. Jack clapped poor Brody on the shoulder, saying jokingly, "So you're our Millicent's new beau, are you?"

Brody's face was now as red as the scarlet sweater he was wearing. "Jackཀ I only just met him, and he isn't my 'beau'ཀ And my name certainly isn't Millicent," Milly scolded him sharply, her own face burning with embarrassment. She should have expected Jack to make a remark like that. He always was the teasing sort.

Jack caved in, as he always did. "Alright, alright little Milly, I was only joking," he apologized, still grinning like an idiot. Chloe rolled her eyes. "But give it time..." she barely heard him mutter.

"It really is nice to meet you, Brody. I'm sorry my brother's such a prat. He can't really help it. We try and try, but the medication just does nothing for him," she said seriously, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. She shook Brody's hand firmly, causing another wave of crimson to blossom on the poor boy's cheeks. Milly stifled an uncharacteristic growl.

"I suppose you must be quite excited, starting your first year," Chloe began her welcoming speech, "Hogwarts is such a wonderful school. You should probably get into your robes before too long, you won't want to be rushed once the train's got there. There's always a wild scuffle when you get there, all the—"

"Little first-year midgets are always in the way. They always have to be FIRST off the train, FIRST to get their luggage safely away from us older kids—" Jack cut in viciously, seeming to forget in his eagerness to vocally bash first-years that there were two such specimens sitting directly across from him. Brody and Milly blinked at each other in slight fear.

"JACK!" Chloe screeched reproachfully, her brown eyes flashing. Jack at once ceased his tirade with a baleful look at Chloe, and slumped back onto the seat. Had he been a tad younger, Milly imagined his bottom lip would have stuck out in a pout. "Annoying little buggers," he grumbled.

"Anyway," Chloe continued peacefully, "you should go and change into your robes now."

"Alright. See you in a minute then," Milly said as she left the room, dragging Brody behind her.

When they were in the hallway and the door was shut, Brody tossed Milly a questioning look. "Milly... your cousin Chloe... she's..." he began quietly, seeming unsure of what he was trying to say. Milly knew.

"Beautiful, I know. She's got veela blood," Milly explained irritably. She pulled him down the hallway to the restrooms. When she turned to him she was surprised to see the confused expression on his face.

"Veela? What's that?" he asked her, puzzled. Milly blinked. How could he not know?

"Erm, well they're Bulgarian, I believe. They're like really beautiful women, but they aren't human, and they've got violent shifting tempers," she told him, also baffled. "Didn't you know?"

"Well, actually, no... I'm from a Muggle family, you see..." He blushed. Milly was startled. It hadn't crossed her mind that Brody might be Muggle-born. It wasn't as though she minded, why, her favorite aunt was a Muggle-born. But it was somehow surprising nonetheless.

"Oh. Well that would make sense then," Milly said. "Anyway, let's get changed into our robes."

They split and went into their gender-appropriate bathrooms to change at once.

"Mr. Potter, are you absolutely sure this is the smartest way to handle this situation?" Luna Lovegood inquired, looking at him quizzically from behind her jeweled spectacles. The dark-haired man looked up at her, his familiar green eyes full of determination.

"Can you think of a better solution?" he demanded, running a hand through his rumpled hair. It was at this moment that Luna noticed for the first time the grey streaks that were never there before.

"Well----no. But Mr. Potter—"

"Ms. Lovegood, there is no other way I can protect my daughter. I am aware of the suspicions it might stir, but I find it to be a feasible plan, in the least," he interrupted smoothly.

"Sir, I know you're worried about her, but perhaps—"

"Luna." His voice, though it was soft and gentle, like a summer's zephyr, chilled her to the bone. She had never been quite able to resist him. Her name sounded so much sweeter when he said it. She felt her heart flutter.

_No, Luna, steady girl. You're an old maid. Harry's _married_ now. You've had your chance at love, and it wasn't meant to be. Now it's far too late._

She thought about her own love life. Or, rather, the lack thereof. She'd been married, true enough, to none other than Blaise Zabini. She'd had a daughter, now eleven, beginning her first year at Hogwarts just like Harry's daughter was. But that relationship with Blaise ended not long after Zephyr's birth. After he left her, Luna had attempted to form a new relationship with someone, believing herself too weak to be a single parent to her newborn baby. The first she'd dated was Neville Longbottom, but it wasn't too long before she realized that they weren't meant to be. She realized the same thing with Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and all the others who followed. It had been four years since she'd been on a date. Luna Lovegood had given up on love. It just seemed like no one was good enough.

But _Harry_.

Having him there in her office, talking about his children, his home, his wife, his life... it made Luna's stomach lurch. She knew she was too late. Fate had decided long ago that Luna was to be denied love for the rest of her life (excepting her only daughter, of course). But really, it was too cruel of Fate to rub it in that she couldn't have Harry. _Curse you, Fate_. She mentally shook her fist.

"Luna," his voice came again, like a song, pulling her back to reality. She blushed, realizing that she must have zoned out in the middle of their serious conversation.

Trying to compose herself, she stammered, "Ye-yes?"

"Please help me to do this. Please. I will beg you if I must," his voice itself was pleading, tugging at her heart. She gave in reluctantly (though the prospect of watching him beg on his knees was rather inviting).

"Oh alright. But Milly will resent it, you know."

"Yes, yes, of course she will. I expect that. But I'll do whatever is necessary to keep my little girl safe," Harry answered firmly. " Nice doing business with you, Luna. See you around."

He got up and left the room. Luna shook her head, the sound of his shoes on the stone floor echoing in the hallway. She pushed her glasses farther up on her nose and returned to her paperwork, wondering just how long Milly Potter would remain a 'little girl'.

A/N: There we go! I've finally updated. I really couldn't help but add in a little Luna, seeing as she's one of my favorite characters. And there are some cousins for you people who wanted to know where Milly's cousins were.

Please review!


	5. The Plan

A / N: Sorry about the abrupt switching between the train scene and Harry and Luna. I had three little asterisks in the original. I dunno if they made it into the version or not, and I should've had more of a separation than that anyway. Sorry guys! (If there's still more than one of youse...) And yes, you will find out before too long what Luna and Harry's 'business' was all about. Thanks!

The dark green minivan had been parked in front of the Ministry of Magic headquarters for nearly an hour now, and its occupants were becoming very impatient.

"Mommy, what's taking Da so long in there?" Sirius asked, obviously bored. Ginny turned and looked in between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. The twins were slumped against each other in the backseat, Remula contentedly playing with a teddy bear, and Sirius looking very in charge. She gave Sirius a small smile.

"I doubt he'll be much longer, sweetie," she assured him, nodding. Sirius didn't look satisfied with that.

"But what is he _doing_?" he inquired doggedly. Ginny's smile faltered. Turning back around to lean back on the seat, she sighed.

"I honestly don't know," she murmured. In the mirror she saw him shrug and curl up against the seat and shut his eyes. _But I'm going to find out_.

Half an hour later, the driver side door of the vehicle squeaked open and a weary-looking Harry Potter slid in.

"Sorry I---" he started casually as he put the key in the ignition.

"Hush! They're sleeping," Ginny hissed almost-silently, jerking her thumb in the direction of the backseat. Harry paled for a minute. She was angry with him, and he knew it. She was going to ask him questions...

"Sirius asked me what was taking his Da so long," she began, venom dripping from her words. "Unfortunately, I wanted to know the same thing."

Harry felt a sweat coming on under the unfaltering glare of his wife.

"Ginny, it was just a business meeting, I just had to—"

"I know something's up," she interrupted. "You're planning something you don't want me to know about. I'd like to know what. I don't like surprises, as you bloody well know." While her voice was soft enough to not awaken the twins, it seemed as though she were screaming at him. There was a loudness to her tone that had nothing to do with volume.

Harry sighed. "Can't we talk about this later, Gin?"

"No. Now," Ginny snarled. She didn't like having things kept from her, and she could sense it was something big. Harry dragged out another long, plaintive sigh.

"Harry!"

"Fine, fine. I've decided to change my course of occupation for a little while. That's all," he told her. Ginny was not convinced.

"That is _not_ all, Harry James Potter, and I cannot believe you would make such a decision without consulting me first!" she flamed at him. Harry was subconsciously grateful for the twins being asleep in the back.

"It's _my_ job!" he replied lamely.

"But it's _our_ family it will affect!" Ginny retorted fiercely. "Think about it, Harry! What if you chose a job far from home? Then what would we do? You should've discussed this with me!"

"Look, I'm sorry, alright! I'll be more careful about making decisions with you in future, okay?" he surrendered. Ginny seemed to calm down considerably.

After a very long period of silence, she spoke again: "So what new job have you so independently chosen?"

"Erm... well.. I'm going to be a teacher." Ginny's head whipped around so fast she gave herself whiplash.

"What! A _teacher_? Bloody hell, Harry, what were you thinking?" she demanded, her voice still kept at a constant low volume. Harry had known this would be her reaction. But she'd get over it. And at least she didn't suspect—

"It's because of Milly, isn't it?" Ginny asked softly. Her tone and expression were unreadable. She was looking straight ahead, watching the wind shield wipers thrash at the rain.

"W-what?" Harry spluttered. How could she have guessed so quickly?

"You want to be able to protect her, to be closer. I know, Harry. I know that's how you expect to keep her safe. You're going to be her shadow for the next seven years. Is that your plan?" Her voice was sarcastic.

"Are you mocking me, Ginevra Weasley?" Harry asked, angry.

"Maybe I am," Ginny replied dangerously. Harry glanced at her. She still didn't look at him.

"Well, yes. That is my plan. I think it's a damn good plan, too. I'm going to be a teacher and take care of her," he explained confidently. Ginny snorted.

"And what makes you think she's going to put up with you for seven years?" Ginny laughed icily. Harry's eyes were grim.

"She isn't going to know."

A / N: Okey dokey, there's the fifth. And it explains 'the business'. You'll see why Luna was involved later on too. And then we'll get back to Milly's POV.

Please review, thanks!


	6. The Lake

A/N: Okay. No weird scene/POV changes in this chapter. '

When the Hogwarts Express finally halted, the students were dismayed by the heavy rain outside. They gingerly stepped off the train, trying not to fall on the slippery surface, although many such accidents occurred anyway. There was a good deal of cursing from the older students and an unusual amount of squealing from the younger ones. Milly, Brody, Jack, and Chloe were huddled beneath a tree, staying out of the way.

"You mean _they_ get to ride in carriages?" Brody was asking reproachfully. He had just been informed of the fact that first-years were to take place in a rain-soaked trip across the lake to get to the castle. Milly nodded grimly.

"Yeah. And we get the boats," she droned in reply, casting her eyes around to find Hagrid in the rainstorm. It didn't take long to find him. Even in the foggy rain he was rather hard to miss.

"There's Hagrid right now. C'mon Brody!" she called to her friend, already rushing toward the drenched half-giant. Jack winked nastily at Brody before sending him off after Milly. "Good luck, and don't drown. Oh and watch out for the giant squid!" he yelled after the eleven-year-old boy.

As she watched the poor frightened boy scamper off, Chloe glared at a grinning Jack. "Jack, it hasn't been too long since you were in first year yourself, and you were just as scared."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Hagrid!" Milly shouted through the rain. She was following hastily behind the huge man, tugging uselessly at his old moleskin coat. She nearly tripped trying to keep up with him; her legs were hardly a third of the size of Hagrid's.

"HAGRID!" she shouted again, louder. The half-giant finally seemed to take notice of the small dark-haired girl hanging off his sleeve. His black eyes widened and he pulled her into a nearly-bone-crushing hug. Brody merely stood and stared in awe at Hagrid's size.

"You're squashing me, Hagrid," Milly squeaked from underneath his sleeve. He released her quickly and patted her on the head as gently as he could (which still made her stumble a bit).

"So nice teh see yeh 'gain, Miss Milly! Yer a sight for sore eyes, o' course," he greeted her warmly. Milly smiled up at him, blinking at the raindrops falling in her eyes.

Hagrid turned for a moment and yelled hoarsely, "FIRS' YEARS OVER HERE! GET IN THE BOATS!" A huge crowd of first-years made their way toward the sound of Hagrid's voice, one of the only things that could be heard over the howl of the storm. He turned back to Milly.

"Well, we migh' as well go ahead and get ourselves in a boat now, eh? All---" he glanced at Brody, "–three of us. Over here."

They all climbed into a boat at the head of the little fleet. As they began their voyage across the lake, Brody asked curiously, "Why's everyone lighting candles? Won't they go out because of the rain?"

Hagrid and Milly exchanged shrewd expressions. "Brody, you've got a lot to learn, my friend," Milly told him.

"So yer a Muggle-born, eh?" Hagrid asked conversationally. Brody nodded and gulped. He still seemed a little wary of the half-giant, which was perfectly understandable, and yet perfectly unnecessary. Hagrid was one of the kindest people Milly knew.

There was a rather uncomfortable lack of conversation in the little boat. Milly nudged Brody in the ribs. "Stop gaping. Hagrid's wonderful," she whispered, her voice hardly audible over the roar of the storm. Hagrid was busy staring off into the distance, squinting as though he could actually see something through the fog.

"R-right," Brody gulped in reply. "So where are we to go once we get across this bloody lake?" he asked loudly, catching Hagrid's attention again.

"Yer all goin' to the Great Hall. Tha's where yer goin' teh be sorted," Hagrid explained.

"Oh yeah... Cole told me about that. He's in Ravenclaw," Brody said meekly. Milly looked at him quizzically.

"Who's Cole?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't think she was prying.

"He's my half-brother. He's fifteen," he told her quickly.

"Oh." There was a long pause. "Does he... live with you?" Milly asked, deciding to take a risk and delve deeper. Brody didn't seem to mind.

"Not really. I visit him and my dad twice a month, though. I live full time with my mum and my little sister," he said.

"You have a sister? So do I! And a brother, but they're twins," Milly exclaimed, glad that they'd finally found something to talk about. All day she'd been having sad attempts at striking up an intelligent conversation with her new friend, but he'd seemed rather subdued. 'But', she thought, annoyed, 'that was probably because of Chloe.'

"Yeah, my sister is eight years old. I don't think she's got any... you know... magic in her. Like my mum," he added.

"So you must get your magic from your father's side, right?" Milly inquired as they neared the castle. Brody nodded.

"Yes. My dad's a wizard," Brody replied.

"OUT O' THE BOATS, FIRS' YEARS, OUT O' THE BOATS!" Hagrid yelled as the boats slid on to the bank. Milly and Brody smiled at each other nervously.

"We're here," Brody said softly. Milly nodded. At last.

A/N: I can only hope there are some of you who will still review... C'mon... you know you want to!


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